RWJB Community Health Worker Program Tops 100,000 Patients

On Oct 9, 2025

RWJBarnabas Health has announced that more than 100,000 patients have now benefited from a program initially launched in 2023 to help tear down barriers to care, reduce hospital readmissions, and improve overall health outcomes. The milestone coincides with the expansion of the system’s successful Community Health Worker (CHW) Program to all 14 RWJBarnabas Health hospitals.

Funded through community health resources from the State of New Jersey, the CHW program is part of RWJBarnabas Health’s larger effort to create healthier communities across New Jersey by addressing the state’s most pressing social determinants of health.

RWJBarnabas Health CHWs serve as a critical part of the continuum of care as resources for vulnerable individuals. They assist patients with their health and social needs for up to 120 days and are embedded in hospitals, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), homeless and community centers, and at community health events.

CHWs conduct social determinants of health assessments to ensure patients are living in healthy environments, able to schedule and secure transportation to physician visits, have access to healthy food, and are getting – and taking – their medications, and then provide assistance to help fill in any gaps.

“We’re building and sustaining a healthier New Jersey by creating a framework for community wellness across our state,” said RWJBarnabas Health President and Chief Executive Officer Mark E. Manigan. “Along with increasing access to care and healthy, nutritious foods, our Community Health Workers serve a vital role in guiding families through their health journeys and improve the overall health of our communities.”

CHWs have engaged over 100,300 patients since the program launched in Newark in November 2023 and later expanded to other hospitals within the system. Nearly 70,000 patients have been enrolled in the program; others were referred to another program and some have declined participation.

“The CHW program is a testament to what happens when health systems meet people where they are and address the real-life obstacles to achieving better health,” said Balpreet Grewal-Virk, PhD, senior vice president of community health at RWJBarnabas Health. “Our CHWs are helping patients invest in their health and navigate a system that doesn’t always make it easy, especially for the most vulnerable among us. Thanks to the work of CHWs, more patients are keeping their doctors’ appointments, eating healthier, and better managing their chronic diseases.”

Nearly six in 10 patients who completed the social determinants of health assessment identified lacking access to transportation, 45% reported being food insecure, and 21% each reported having trouble paying utility bills or finding stable housing.

“I take great pride in serving my community,” said Brandon Olivares, 23, of North Plainfield, who joined the CHW team at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset in May 2025 and has served nearly 350 patients, to date. “Many of my patients face both socioeconomic and language barriers. As a bilingual Spanish speaking CHW, I connect my patients to the resources they need and guide them through the process of completing applications, securing appointments, and securing services.”

RWJBarnabas Health has provided over 116,000 rides for patients through a Rideshare Partnership launched in 2024, 84% of which were to or from a doctor’s visit. To further assist patients, CHWs have scheduled over 11,400 physician appointments, helped over 3,200 patients enroll in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and referred nearly 31,000 patients to community-based resources, such as food banks and other assistance programs.

“I provide patients with free ride share services, help them pay utility bills, help underinsured and uninsured patients receive primary care, and I am also a friendly ear for many patients who just want someone to talk to,” said Aquanett Bostick, 36, from Jersey City, a CHW at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center who has worked with nearly 900 patients since she started in March 2024. “I enjoy being of service to people in the community and as a Community Health Worker in the hospital’s emergency department, I connect with dozens of patients every day.”

RWJBarnabas Health employs more than 70 CHWs across its service area and announced earlier this month that the program had expanded to Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch.

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